ABSTRACT

Across the body, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) preferentially accumulates in central nervous system tissue and is the most prevalent polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) found in the brain. This chapter explores the relationship between DHA and cognition across the lifespan drawing upon evidence from basic science studies which have highlighted the multi-faceted nature of DHA, along with the current evidence from animal and human. It suggests that DHA supplementation may have subtle effects on brain function, the implications of which on behavioural measures may only be observed following longer interventions. The human evidence in adults is far from clear; tantalising evidence of a beneficial relationship between dietary DHA and cognition reported by observational studies is not consistently supported by randomized controlled trials (RCT). This pattern, which was also noted in the infant and child data, continues throughout early adulthood and during both normal and pathological ageing.